The invention relates to a roof rack for vehicles.
German Patent Document DE 195 43 218 A1 discloses a roof rack for vehicles which has a basic carrier which can be stationarily fixed on the vehicle. A load carrier is connected with the basic carrier and can be displaced into a inclined loading position on the base carrier and into a lifted transport position on the vehicle roof.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved roof rack for a motor vehicle which comprises a loading aid which is easy to handle, is safely supported in a loading position and, in a transport position, is held in a secured manner on the roof rack.
The principal advantages achieved by the invention are that, by means of the loading element, which consists of a load bearing structure and can be swung out laterally of the vehicle, for example, bicycles can be put on at a low height from the vehicle side, and these bicycles are then lifted by the loading element onto the vehicle roof.
For this purpose, the load rack includes two transversely extending and stationary profiled carriers. On each vehicle side, the loading element having a load bearing structure is displaceably guided by way of adjusting levers into an extended inclined loading position and into a retracted transport position on the vehicle roof. The loading element preferably includes two swivellable profiled carriers respectively on each vehicle side. The profiled carriers are connected on the end side by a carrier rod, and the free ends of the profiled carriers facing away from the carrier rod are each connected with an adjusting lever.
With the adjusting lever, the loading element can be adjusted laterally of the vehicle into a inclined loading position in such a manner that the loading element can take up a downward-directed inclined position. For this purpose, according to the invention, the adjusting lever is held by its one end swivellably by way of a pin in a swivellable profiled carrier and, by its other end, which faces away, the adjusting lever is displaceably arranged by way of a sliding element in a stationary profiled carrier of the load carrier.
To securely support the loading element on the load carrier and on the stationary profiled carriers in the inclined loading position, the adjusting lever is held by a first supporting surface on a stationary stop of the stationary profiled carrier. In the inclined loading position, the first supporting surface of the adjusting lever is arranged in a vertical plane and is situated opposite a corresponding surface of the stop. A second supporting surface of the adjusting lever is arranged with respect to the swivellable profiled carrier at an angle with respect to the first supporting surface of the adjusting lever.
To easily position the profiled carriers of the loading element of both vehicle sides with respect to one another, in the transport position on the vehicle roof, the profiled carriers of the loading element are connected by way of a stationary plug-type element with the directly opposite profiled carrier of the other loading element. In particular, the plug-type element includes a wedge-shaped insertion part into which the profiled carriers can be slid. The plug-type element is preferably fixedly connected with the stationary profiled carrier and is centered on both sides in a wedge shape. The two loading elements (profiled carriers) are mutually fixed in the Z-direction.
According to an embodiment, a locking of the movable profiled carriers of the loading element at the stationary profiled carriers of the load carrier can take place by way of resilient detents which are arranged in a stationary closing cap.
To provide guidance of the profiled carriers for taking up the transport position on the stationary profile carriers situated below, and to ensure the entry of the free ends of the profiled carriers into the corresponding plug-type element, the stationary stop in each case has lateral guiding grooves in which guide webs engage. The guiding grooves are stationarily held on the profiled carrier and are arranged on both sides of the stop. The guide webs are provided on the end side of the profiled carriers and are used to slide the profiled carriers in the case of a transport position. Therefore, according to the invention, by way of the stop, in addition to the guiding tasks, advantageously, vertical forces can be additionally absorbed.
For fixing the profiled carriers situated on top on the stationary profiled carriers arranged underneath in the transport position, one locking pin respectively is provided on the profiled carriers situated on top. The locking pin, in the transport position, projects into a corresponding opening of the stationary profiled carrier. Preferably, the locking pin is held on the end side on a spring element. The adjusting element is connected with the spring element, which adjusting element is arranged outside the profiled carrier and is connected by way of a bent-away tongue of the spring element with the adjusting element on the profiled carriers. At its rearward end facing away from the locking pin, the spring element has a bent-away section which is connected with the profiled carrier.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.